People that make environmentally friendly home improvements could be on the receiving end of government loans.

The UK Green Building Council has proposed the scheme, which could see people get a £10,000 loan that would be repaid over 25 years.

Gordon Miller, founder of Whatgreenhome.com, said that the moves were "perhaps to bold" but still "aspirational".

"Incentivising people to act on climate change through council tax rebates is a good measure," he said.

Mr Miller added that "retrofitting our homes to be more energy efficient on a huge scale has to begin much sooner rather than later," if the government wanted to meet its legally binding climate change plans by 2050.

It is believed that around 15 per cent of planned emissions cuts will come from making homes greener.

According to the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, up to £1 in every £3 spend on heating a home is wasted through poor insulation.